1. Field of the Invention
With respect to the art, as established in and by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, this invention is believed to be found in the general class entitled "Article Handling" and more particularly "separating and reorienting a preformed container".
2. Description of the Prior Art
As far as it is known, apparatus for separating a preformed container from a nested stack are known. Some examples of prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,212 as issued to Mueller on Oct. 18, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,888 as issued to Piel on Feb. 11, 1964, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,260 as issued to Holland on Dec. 8, 1964. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,212, Mueller discloses an apparatus for separating preformed cups from a nested stack then placing said cup in a holder of a conveyor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,888, as issued to Piel, discloses a vibratory feeder for reorienting a preformed container. Holland, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,260, discloses an apparatus for handling stacked containers. These known prior art devices do not satisfy the present need for an apparatus for separating a preformed container from a nested stack and metering each separated container in a preferred orientation for subsequent filling and capping operations. This needed apparatus should be capable of accommodating various types of containers in a range of sizes.